memeorandum: Romney advisor: ‘Big win in a big state;’ ‘you hit a reset button for the fall campaign’ (Soledad O'Brien/CNN)

1:00 PM ET, March 21, 2012

Top Items:

Alex Seitz-Wald / ThinkProgress:

Top Romney Adviser Says Romney Can Change His Positions After The Primaries: 'It's Almost Like An Etch A Sketch' — Mitt Romney can't be held accountable for his extreme right-wing views, at least according to his campaign's senior adviser, who said the candidate should be given a …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, American Prospect, Wonkette, Balloon Juice, The Maddow Blog, Indecision Forever and Daily Kos

Alfredo Rocha / ABCNEWS:

Jeb Bush Endorses Mitt Romney in GOP Primary — Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush endorsed Mitt Romney after Romney's lopsided win in Illinois Tuesday night. The former Florida Governor - a Republican heavyweight - called on members of the party to coalesce behind Romney.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, CBS News, Globe and Mail, Orlando Sentinel, msnbc.com, Indecision Forever, Outside the Beltway, The Political Carnival and his vorpal sword

Erick Erickson / RedState:

The Nominee — It is a mathematical improbability that Rick Santorum will get to the magic number of 1,144 — the number of delegates needed to be the Republican Presidential nominee. It is a political improbability that Rick Santorum will stop Mitt Romney from getting to 1,144.

Discussion: GOP 12

Soledad O'Brien / CNN:

Romney advisor: ‘Big win in a big state;’ ‘you hit a reset button for the fall campaign’ — On Starting Point with Soledad O'Brien, Mitt Romney Senior Advisor Eric Fehrnstrom talks Illinois primary and Romney's decision to step aside in 2008 election. — Fehrnstrom says …

Discussion: Washington Wire, Human Rights Campaign and Swampland

New York Times:

Romney Wins by Wide Margin in Illinois Contest — CHICAGO — Mitt Romney swept to victory in the Illinois Republican primary on Tuesday, using the full force of his campaign and an argument that he has the best chance of defeating President Obama to overcome doubts among the more conservative voters at the heart of his party.

Discussion: The Caucus, USA Today, News Desk, The Moderate Voice, Washington Post, Outside the Beltway, Campaign 2012, Politico, Dean's World, Reuters, PRI, Media Decoder, Wall Street Journal, The Daily Beast, Truthdig and Newsy

Alicia M. Cohn / Ballot Box:

Romney adviser says campaign can start fresh for general election, ‘like an Etch A Sketch’ — Mitt Romney adviser Eric Fehrnstrom on Wednesday dismissed concern that the nastiness of the GOP primary race could negatively affect the fight to replace President Obama.

Discussion: Politico and The Raw Story

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

Top Romney adviser: Mitt will erase his conservative positions once he's the nominee — Think Progress flags an amazing exchange on CNN, in which Eric Fehrnstrom, a top adviser to Mitt Romney, seems to confirm that the conservative positions Romney has been forced to take during the primary …

Discussion: GOP 12, Campaign 2012, Hot Air and Pundit & Pundette

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:

Romney holds small lead nationally — PPP's newest national poll finds that Mitt Romney leads with 34% to 31% for Rick Santorum, 20% for Newt Gingrich, and 9% for Ron Paul. But if Gingrich dropped out Santorum would have a small lead with 41% to 40% for Romney and 11% for Paul.

Discussion: Conservatives4Palin

Ralph Z. Hallow / Washington Times:
Finally, Romney gets tea party support

Discussion: CNN, Don Surber, Associated Press, Democracy in America, Chicago Tribune, Guardian, msnbc.com, CBS News, The Hill, ABCNEWS, The Hill, Ballot Box, GOP 12 and The Lonely Conservative

Jay Cost / Weekly Standard: Morning Jay: How Romney Won Illinois, and What it Means

Jeb Bush / CNN: Jeb Bush endorses Romney, calls on party to unite

Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly:
Beatdown — It wasn't particularly surprising, but Mitt …

Discussion: FiveThirtyEight, The Daily Dish and The New Republic

Jonathan Easley / The Hill: Jeb Bush endorses Mitt Romney, boosting his presidential bid

BBC:

Raid on Toulouse shooting suspect — French police surrounded Mohammed Merah in Toulouse — Mohammed Merah, the man believed to be the gunman on a scooter who killed seven people in south-western France, is a 23-year-old French citizen of Algerian extraction.

Discussion: Guardian, The Agonist, Blogs of War, msnbc.com, Global Spin, Atlas Shrugs, The Jawa Report, Harry's Place and The Daily Caller

Murray Wardrop / Telegraph:
Toulouse siege: live

Discussion: Power Line, Washington Post, Reuters, blogs.telegraph.co.uk, Hit & Run and Blazing Cat Fur

Scott Sayare / New York Times:
French Police Say They Have Cornered Suspect in School Shooting

Discussion: The Lede, americanthinker.com and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Telegraph:
Toulouse shooting: French police surround house of ‘jihadist’

Discussion: Melanie Phillips and Harry's Place

Fred Barnes / Weekly Standard:

Romney-Ryan? — Mitt Romney is close to finishing off his rivals for the Republican presidential nomination, talk of a brokered GOP convention in August, and the prospect of a new candidate suddenly entering the contest. — This would be a political hat trick once it happens …

Discussion: Washington Post, Power Line, Swampland, Politico and Washington Times

Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
Paul Ryan, helping the poor by hurting them

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Ezra Klein, Slate and Daily Kos

Ezra Klein:
Wonkbook: Why the Republican budgets make the poor pay

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The New Republic, The Maddow Blog and New York Magazine

William Kristol / Weekly Standard:

Feelin' Blue — Looking back at the day's news, I must admit I'm having trouble maintaining my customary good cheer. — Watching Mitt Romney's victory speech in Illinois didn't reassure me about his chances against President Obama. (Watch it yourself to see if I'm being unfair.)

Discussion: Washington Monthly, GOP 12, The Political Carnival, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Daily Kos and Pundit & Pundette

Steve Doughty / Daily Mail:

Gay marriage is not a ‘human right’: European ruling torpedoes Coalition stance — Same-sex marriages are not a human right, European judges have ruled. — Their decision shreds the claim by ministers that gay marriage is a universal human right and that same-sex couples have a right …

Discussion: ThinkProgress and Joe. My. God.

Donna Bowater / Telegraph:
Gay marriage is not a human right, according to European ruling

Discussion: Guardian and Gay Politics

Mj Lee / Politico:

Ron Paul: Secret Service is welfare — Ron Paul said Tuesday he doesn't want any Secret Service protection because it's “a form a welfare.” — “It's a form of welfare,” the presidential candidate told comedian Jay Leno Tuesday. “You know, you're having the taxpayers pay to take care …

Discussion: News Desk, Joe. My. God., The Other McCain, Jezebel and ABCNEWS

Claudia Rosett / PJ Media:
Mexico for Spring Break

Discussion: JustOneMinute, Taylor Marsh, 2012.talkingpointsmemo.com and TheBlaze.com

Amie Parnes / The Hill:

Obama will avoid healthcare defense during court review — President Obama will not mark the two-year anniversary of his signing of the healthcare law — which takes place days before the Supreme Court offers a decision on the constitutionality of his signature legislative achievement.

Discussion: Hot Air and The Heritage Foundation

Sam Baker / The Hill:
Supreme Court faces an unprecedented frenzy during health reform arguments

Discussion: Reuters

H. HooVer / Distriction:

Sign of the Times — Stephon stood just a few feet away from Barack Obama. The president, busy shaking hands, looked right at him. “It was like he was waiting for me to say something,” he said later. — So the 26-year-old Prince George's Community College student took his cue and spoke …

Discussion: Washington Post, Towleroad News #gay, Boing Boing and Angry Black Lady Chronicles

Jeffrey Goldberg / The Atlantic Online:

Andrew Sullivan Is Frightened by Complexity — Somehow, in the midst of grappling with Andrew Sullivan's attack on me (in which he lied about what I have written, what I think, what I believe, and what I've reported, and shows no understanding, by the way, of reporting itself — but, hey, what are friends for?)

Discussion: Power Line, Bloomberg, Politico and The Daily Dish

Jeff Glor / CBS News:

Calls grow to arrest gunman in Fla. teen slaying — (CBS News) SANFORD, Fla. - Pressure is building for authorities in Florida to arrest George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch captain who fatally shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin last month. — The incident is now a federal case, and it's slated to go before a grand jury.

Discussion: Boston Herald and The Reaction

Yahoo! Good Morning America:
Trayvon Martin Exclusive: Friend on Phone with Teen Before Death Recalls Final Moments

Discussion: Firedoglake, Daily Kos, msnbc.com and MiamiHerald.com

The Reliable Source / Washington Post:

John King and Dana Bash separate; CNN stars were married four years — John King and Dana Bash in Washington last year. (Rebecca D'Angelo for The Washington Post) Separated: Dana Bash, 40, and John King, 48, after less than four years of marriage, a friend of the CNN stars confirmed to us Tuesday.

Discussion: Politico and Mediaite

Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress:

IRONY ALERT: Anti-Gay Group Complains About Out-Of-Staters ‘Buying’ Marriage Equality In New Hampshire — As lawmakers in New Hampshire prepare to repeal that state's same-sex marriage law, the National Organization for Marriage's (NOM) Brian Brown appeared on MSNBC with Thomas Roberts …